Hannah Doell was finding her niche last season when a broken arm ended her freshman season.

The player that came all the way from Pennsylvania to play Hope basketball had a breakout game in an upset win over rival Calvin College, then had to watch from the sidelines the rest of the season as the Flying Dutch barely missed the NCAA Division III tournament.

Hope fans were left pondering “what if?” but not this season.

A 6-foot-1 small forward, Doell is something a little different than seventh-ranked Hope has ever seen.

“Maybe the most improved player I have ever had coming off of a freshman year,” Hope coach Brian Morehouse said.

Doell isn’t the top scorer on the team — that’s forward Courtney Kust — but she can score from anywhere on the floor.

Doell isn’t the top rebounder on the team — that’s forward Rebekah Llorens — but she grabs key rebounds when her team needs it.

Doell isn’t the best defender on the team — yet, that is between guard Liz Ellis and forward Meredith Kussmaul — but her suffocating defense from the perimeter has returned the Flying Dutch to a top-10 team in the nation.

Doell is a box score stuffer. She might not lead in any category, but she will score eight points, grab six rebounds, have three steals and three assists any given night.

The Flying Dutch have had players like this in the past, most notably Philana Greene, who did a little bit of everything and was a key defender. But Greene was a guard. Doell is a 6-1 forward.

“What a luxury to have a 6-1 player be able to guard anyone on the floor,” Morehouse said. “She is an amazing defender. Last year, she was OK. She was in the right spots most of the time. Now, we put her on the team’s best player.”

The sophomore has started every game this season, and will against Finlandia on Friday in Hope’s Holiday Tournament. The Flying Dutch tip off at 7:30 p.m., following Baldwin-Wallace (Ohio) and Bluffton (Ohio) at 5:30 p.m. Hope plays at 3 p.m. Saturday.

“I have been trying to play the same defense I have been playing,” Doell said. “I pride myself on being able to guard whoever I am matched up against well. I know it isn’t always the case, but I do my best.”

Doell has shut the opposition down, whether guarding them on the perimeter or in the post

She has two seniors — Ellis and Kussmaul — that she learns from daily. Ellis is one of the best on-ball defenders around. Kussmaul is one of the best post defenders in the country.

Put them together and Doell is going to be a hybrid defender like to team has seen.

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“Doell has been doing a great job at stepping into a big role,” Ellis said. “Coach does a great job of putting good people together.”

Meanwhile, Doell is working on improving the other aspects of her game.

“I think I have been kind of lacking on offense, which is what I focused on,” she said.

Doell averages 6.5 points per game, but had a career-high 15 against Wisconsin-Whitewater in the Post-Exam Jam on Dec. 13 to earn all-tournament team honors. She had five rebounds in the game and a team-high six in the tournament opener.

“She’s got an ability with her height (6-foot-1) to get off her shot, especially when a player is right on her — which we rely on, especially when the shot clock is winding down. The area she underestimates herself is her rebounding,” Morehouse said. “I know Hannah Doell is into the game when she is getting rebounds.”

Morehouse isn’t sure what Doell did in the offseason to improve, but he would sure like to know the secret.

“We would like to bottle some of that Pennsylvania stuff and bring it back — because she came back very improved,” he said. “It was unbelievable.”